£215k row on McDonnell’s patch

NEXT time Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell complains about penny-pinching by the Government he should have a word with his Labour-run local authority Hillingdon Council.

The lobbyists Back Heathrow discovered through a Freedom of Information request that in the past year Hillingdon spent £215,000 on legal fees opposing expansion of the airport — the borough’s largest employer. During the same period it cut £215,000 from the children’s services budget.

LABOUR MP Keith Vaz has always been a toxic figure to some of his fellow MPs. Quite literally now, I hear. One or two party members are still recovering from food poisoning they suspect they picked up nearly two weeks ago at his Diversity party during the Labour conference.